What makes an interface feel great?

I think a lot about what makes an interface feel great.

When you go from using a good product to a great one, you can feel the difference. It's often hard to point to what makes it though.

It's usually not a single thing, but instead a lot of small things that add up.

Great design is invisible. It guides users without them ever noticing.

In the age of artificial intelligence, shipping fast is no longer an advantage. When anything can be replicated in minutes, just building something isn't enough.

Products that are going to stand out and last are those that are built extremely well, with intent and extraordinary care.

That's what Interfaces focuses on.

About Interfaces

Articles on my website have been read more than one million times and it makes me very happy that people find them useful.

Interfaces is where I share everything I know continue to learn about building great interfaces and products.

I cover a variety of topics from animation and typography to layout, color and everything else that is a part of building a great interface.

How it works

Once you subscribe, you get full access to the Interfaces platform. This includes all previously released issues with interactive demos and code snippets.

At least one new issue is released every month.

You also get access to a curated library of resources, tools I personally use, agent skills and a private Discord community.

New issue every month

At least one new issue is released every month.

Interactive demos

Concepts are explained through interactive demos instead of text only.

<AnimatePresence mode="popLayout" initial={false}>
  <motion.div
    key={isCopied ? "check" : "copy"}
    initial={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.25, filter: "blur(4px)" }}
    animate={{ opacity: 1, scale: 1, filter: "blur(0px)" }}
    exit={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.25, filter: "blur(4px)" }}

Source code

Most examples and demos include the source code.

Agent skills

Skill covering many of the topics explored in the magazine.

Bookmarks and tools

A curated library of resources and tools I personally use.

Private Discord community

Discord community to discuss issues and meet like-minded people.

Nice to meet you, I'm Jakub

I'm a founding design engineer at Interfere. I write articles about a variety of design engineering topics on my website and I built oklch.fyi.

I care deeply about craft and quality and I like to make people feel something through my work. I'm obsessed with details and I spend an unreasonable amount of time making sure they feel right.

Previously, I worked at OpenSea and a few other companies. You might have seen some of my work on Twitter or my code on GitHub.

Read three issues for free

Get a feel for Interfaces. Each issue covers a different topic from start to finish.

Details That Make Interfaces Feel Better

1. 00Introduction
2. 01Text wrapping
3. 02Concentric border radius
4. 03Animate icons contextually
5. 04Make text crispy
6. 05Use tabular numbers
7. 06Make your animations interruptible
8. 07Split and stagger entering elements
9. 08Make exit animations subtle
10. 09Align optically, not geometrically
11. 10Use shadows instead of borders
12. 11Add outline to images
13. 12Before and after
14. 13Skill

These issues are free to read and give you a glimpse into what the magazine is about, how the issues are structured and what the content looks like.

Every issue so far

15 issues have been released so far. A subscription gets you all of them, plus every new issue that comes out.

Start building great interfaces today

Quality matters more than it ever has in software. If you care about craft, you like to sweat the details and want to learn more about design and engineering, I think you’ll enjoy the magazine.

“It changed the way I pay attention to detail in the products I use every day. I think about the intention behind a design more than ever.”

“If you are starting to realize the importance of taste in building for the future, I can't recommend this enough.”

“The level of craft in every article is extraordinary. I wish Interfaces existed when I started designing for the web.”

“The writing and the design of Interfaces make it clear that Jakub doesn't just advocate for good taste and high quality, he practices it himself.”

“I can't imagine being a designer without following Interfaces. At a time when so much AI is shipping bad design, it's essential.”

“Go check out Interfaces! There's so much to learn in there.”